The North East Emerging Artist Award
The North East Emerging Artist Award is an annual award at Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland for final year students or early career artists to provide opportunities for mentoring and development of site specific work in an historic context.
About the North East Emerging Artist Award
The North East Emerging Artist Award was established in 2021 and developed by independent curator, Matthew Jarratt and Seaton Delaval Hall’s General Manager, Emma Thomas. It is open to artists from all artforms including music, sound, theatre, film, fashion, literature and design as well as fine art and is for artists in or from the North East who are in the final year of their undergraduate degree, studying for a masters’ degree, who have graduated in the last three years or equivalent. The award’s aim is to showcase site-specific contemporary art in a historic context and to encourage emerging artists to develop proposals at the hall.
Find out more about the North East Emerging Artist in this short film. (Running time approximately nine minutes)
Meet the Winners: shortlisted 2025, exhibition spring 2026
Meet the artists whose work will exhibit in 2026.
David Kenney: The Vanbrugh Perspective
Inspired by Seaton Delaval Hall’s rich theatrical heritage and playful spirit, David’s installation, The Vanbrugh Perspective, will use forced perspective and trompe-l’oeil to create the illusion of an endlessly extending arcade, exploring impossible architecture and inviting visitors to question perception and reality. The installation will appear in the West Wing arcade.
Meet the winners: Shortlisted 2024, winners' exhibition 2025
Meet this year's winners, whose work will be exhibited Saturday 6 September - Sunday 19 October.
Jordan Edge (Kiik Amor): The Lyre of Elysium
Non-binary/trans artist Jordan works in the field of experimental design and sonic arts and will present their work The Lyre of Elysium in 2025. They manipulate metals, latex, and silicone to create sculptures and sound installations that function as abstract forms of communication.
A history of artistic patronage
Throughout its history Seaton Delaval Hall and its inhabitants have been synonymous with artistic support, from commissioning painter Arthur Pond to produce views of the Hall, the backing of erotic novelist, John Clelland, and the patronage of William Bell who produced family portraits and tutored Rhoda Delaval through to the 21st Lord Hastings’ support of The Royal Ballet. The North East Emerging Artist Award continues this rich tradition.
Meet our previous winners
Established in 2021, winners of the North East Emerging Artist Award are selected in winter, with their work exhibited the following year.
Rachel Blackwell: Flight of the Pipistrelles
Sculptor Rachel’s work featured cast pewter bats suspended by a steel rig, representing the bats that have made the hall their home since the fire of 1822. The piece was suspended in the Entrance Hall, where the bats hibernate in winter.
